Slowly but surely it seems, the Drug War is being eroded by the new winds blowing, and the ship of state is slowly being turned around…

If you didn’t see the news on Wednesday evening or on Thursday, then you might not have heard Attorney General Holder announced the Feds will not be going after medical marijuana patients and providers unless the are violating BOTH Federal law and State law – translation (as I understand it) – States law on medical marijuana trumps Federal law.

Finally, some relief, and a chance for the medical marijuana states to clarify what “is” and what “is not” medical marijuana use.

But I want REAL change. We could start with:

Eliminating the political-science-based Schedule I classification for marijuana.

The release of all Drug War P.O.W.s.

The end of drug testing for employment.

A new paradigm concerning Cannabis Sativa (medical plant) and Cannabis Hemp (industrial plant) recognizing it’s value and repudiating the racist-base lies of the last 72 years.

We need REAL Change, not SPARE change or CHUMP Change…

Even though it seems were headed in the right direction I get frustrated at the pace.

We need unjust laws changed NOW because they are affecting people today, right this moment.

Charles C. Lynch will be Federal Court on Monday the 23rd facing 5 years to life for providing legal, compassionate care under California State law. Charles can’t wait for change next month – he needs it NOW.

If we end up without the unjust laws being changed on the Federal level, then after the Obama administration is gone we’ll have nothing but empty words from Ex-Attorney General Holder and Ex-President Obama.

Will those words hold up in court as we try to exercise our rights as medical marijuana patients, or will we end up with chump change?

A sad observation: in the light of the recent financial crisis, it seems like our government is providing billions for greed and jail for compassion. I didn’t cast my vote for that…

Ignorant Politicians, and The Same Old Lies…

In a related story:

Sen. Grassley from Iowa (sorry Iowa) trotted out the same old, discredited “Gateway Theory” that seemed so 1986 (remember, back when we were told Greed is Good) as to be laughable… Here’s an article from AP about the Senator’s outrage – I would title the article “Retro 80′s Drug War Rhetoric Staying Alive in Iowa”, AP calls it “GOP senator blasts new medical marijuana policy”

At a gathering to discuss health care reform, the Iowa lawmaker criticized the Justice Department’s new policy of targeting California‘s medical marijuana distributors only if they violate both federal and state law.

That’s a break from the Bush administration, which targeted dispensaries under federal law even if they complied with the state’s law allowing sales of medical marijuana.

The shift was outlined by Attorney General Eric Holder a day earlier.

“The first rule of medicine, first do no harm, is being violated by the attorney general by his decision,” said Grassley.

The senator said the new policy is counterproductive because marijuana leads to use of harder drugs. [my note: this is commonly called the "Gateway Theory"]

Advocates for medical marijuana defended the president.

“The Obama administration deserves credit for basing policy on facts and science, not the myths perpetuated by Sen. Grassley,” said Bruce Mirken, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project.

I wish ignorant politicians would keep their mouths shut sometimes… Don’t they realize spouting that old ignorant Drug War rhetoric is going to create some very embarrassing YouTube moments.

The time has come to end the Spell of Ignorance and Anti-Science Stonewalling of the last 72 years concerning Cannabis Sativa and Cannabis Hemp.

I’m so tired of politicians (fortunately Mr. Grassley doesn’t represent me) that keep lying, when the truth is easy to find if you just open your eyes and ears and shut your mouth.

So I had to send the Senator a message (I was a little upset at the time I sent it off – I hope it was respectful enough…)

Dear Sen. Grassley

Your ignorance is amazing – do you know anything about the science of medical marijuana? If not, then do no harm – and keep your biased, harmful lies to yourself.

What does a $50 worth of medical marijuana look like today?

This is an eighth of an ounce (3.5 grams) of Granddaddy Purple (GDP) that I picked up at CCLB on Sunday, March 1, 2009. CCLB has a “$50 cap” on eighths (that mean – nothing over $50 an eighth).

Photos: The baggie your herb comes in with a MMJ label on it (I designed that label – just bragging a bit), an overall shot with a quarter in the middle for size comparison and then some close-up shots…

Also – they sell GDP shake (shake is the trimmed leaves, smaller buds and leftover bits that fall off of buds which falls to the bottom of the jar or bag – what “shakes” down to the bottom) for $10 a gram (1 ounce is approx. 28 grams), and they have a special right now where you get a free gram of shake with every eighth purchased. I got my free gram and paid $10 for another – so I included photos of that too…

Granddaddy Purple (GDP) has been a favorite strain of mine for several years, and over the last year I had the opportunity to photograph CCLB’s GDP a number of times, and it has ranged from excellent to pretty good – sometimes it’s very purple and sweet and sometimes it’s just a little… off, and this is one of those batches – at least from the eighth I picked up… but still it is delicious smelling and sweet and excellent medicine.

[I'm throwing this free money-making idea out there again: Someone please make a Granddaddy Purple air-freshener. That's right - air fresheners with marijuana fragrances - could be big - I know I'll buy some if you get it right...]

The budtenders at CCLB are generally on the generous side, and what I picked up reflected that. The eighth was 3.59 grams, and the 2 grams of shake weighted out to 2.16 grams.

That may not seem like much of a difference – but it’s the attitude behind the generous weight. (I’ve bought eighths at dispensaries that were a little light when I got home and weighed it. For patients on a budget it’s these little things that matter.

In the Cannabible (vol. 3), Jason King says that GDP is a cross of Purple Urkel and Big Bud, which I can understand, but he also says “the high is strong and felt mostly in the body.”

My experience has been different. I think of GDP as an active, head high – very little body stone (or body fuzziness). But other growers using different techniques bring out hidden qualities in a strain, so that could be the reason for the different viewpoints.

If you’re a MMJ patient in the Long Beach area, and GDP is your medicinal choice, check out CCLB, and tell them that Jon, onehumanbeing sent you. And make sure they give you the free gram of GDP shake.

Depression hits you in many different ways, ranging from very physically sick to just a heavy mental battle, and lot’s of variations in between. I happen to be in one of the heavy mental battles since late last week.

From experience, I know what help me avoid spending the day in bed, with my mind hammering me over and over, and that’s the purple strains, of which, GDP is my personal choice.

I saw my friend, neighbor and pastor, Rick, this morning while walking my dogs (before I had medicated), and my head was swimming somewhere under the churning water on my brain… when we parted he asked what I was doing today, and my honest thought and hearts desire was to crawl back in bed and make the world go away, “Back to bed” I told him, and I really meant it. 8:30 in the morning and I’m ready for the day to be over…

Sometimes, when the depressions get bad, I loss all faith in the way herb can help, and become less inclined to medicate. It’s just depression’s pessimism and general joy-killing malaise, but it gets me every time… and today was like that.

Finally, sometime after 9:00 I got around to taking a few hits of the GDP I picked up yesterday, and then a few minutes later I got distracted by something I had been working on, and then I thought about going down to Hot Java and get an apple fritter – which I did – and then one thing led into another… I had a nice productive day and when Tania got home around 5:00 pm, I still had not made it back to bed yet.

This is a week that will be remembered by marijuana and medical marijuana advocates, users, historians, patients, and all lovers of freedom and common sense for a long, long time.

I could be overstating that, but please forgive me – I’ve been waiting, and praying, for a very long time to see what is happening right now in front of us: AG Holder says: No More D.E.A. Raids in states with medical marijuana laws.

It’s like watching the Berlin Wall fall… and (I believe) the beginning of the end of the insane drug war!

If you have no idea what I’m going on about, check out these news articles, because they can tell you better than I can what the general storyline is…

Those are just a few articles to give you a sampling – a quick check of your own on Google will quickly give you a very good idea of the amazing shift in policy that is being undertaken with delicacy, but at this now-typical Obama-pace…

Many interesting pieces are coming together in an amazing fashion – providing a stage for a very quick change in direction, and very soon – the re-legalization of marijuana:

[note: Marijuana was legal up until 72 years ago - so the proper term should be "re-legalize", not "legalize" - but who really cares, let's just get this done.]

The Mexican Cartel Border Situation: Watch for this to become a very big story in the next few weeks – and become a major reason – even more than tax money – for ending marijuana prohibition.

AB 390: A Stress Test for Marijuana Re-Legalization, Regulation and Taxation – and the crowd breaks into applause!!! On Tuesday I read a LA Times news story with an informal poll, and when I added my “Yes” vote for legalization, it was just one small voice in the 94% “Yes” column after 5,500 or something votes…

Only 5.6% had just said “No”… The Reagan era is over indeed.

Word on the street: Everyone, and I mean everyone I talk to is in favor of putting this prohibition behind us, and put the tax dollars to work for us… medical marijuana patients are ready to do their part.

This is not like before – this is across the board. I know what it’s like to hear the choir sing this song, but now I’m hearing a lot of new voices joining the choir…

T-Shirts now available at CafePress.com

So what do you do while you wait? (besides call the White House and your elected officials to voice your support for sensible drug policy) – Go get your medical marijuana T-Shirts NOW ($20 at my CafePress shop) or you wouldn’t get to brag at parties months from now about how you “got this t-shirt back when marijuana was illegal…”

“I Stand For Change” is the slogan I used on the button I gave away at the Charles Lynch rally on Monday (another thing that happened this last week) – You can read my story about the rally here if you haven’t already… there are also some really nice photos that my wife, Tania, took at the rally.

I’ve been selling Medical Marijuana T-shirts and stickers on CafePress since 2003 – and this is my latest. It’s available in many different colors of T-shirts and styles for both men and women.

You can also get the image on tile coasters, a clock, hats and a bunch of other stuff.

Here’s a Billboard I’d like to see in my neighborhood, and everywhere…

This is a composite image, not a real photo of an actual billboard, but a photo I put together to see what my pieces I did a few years ago would look like large-scale…

I called the company that owns this particular billboard space, and for only $3,000 I could have this up for 4 weeks. A project for 4/20? I don’t know. I have about as much money as a church mouse, but I got ideas… donations anyone?

Here’s a larger view:

This liquor store (Jones Liquor) is on E. Broadway, in our neighborhood… I took this photo in November of 2007, and since then the old liquor sign has been replaced with a ugly new sign I’ve done numerous pieces over the years involving this Liquor Store and it’s sign.)

Medical Marijuana Sign on E. Broadway, Long Beach in 2007

I was originally inspired to try my piece large scale, in billboard format after this little billboard spent several months in late 2007 reigning over E. Broadway in our hood.

You would not believe how many people I would see stop and point with big smiles, or take out there cell phones and snap a photo. Marijuana just puts a smile on peoples face…

Sometimes that’s just what a person needs. Endless struggle with no rest is not healthy, and in my opinion, there is no condemnation in using God’s gift of the herb to find that rest.

“For the person who needs water, give them water,
for the one that needs food, give food,
for the one who needs rest, give rest,
but don’t give anyone the bitter taste of your petty judgments – there is no one who needs those…”

Buttons

My button machine has been repaired and I am back in button making action!

Yesterday I dropped off 40 MMJ Week buttons at A Soothing Remedy, so stop by and pick one up today…

I have the rally in Los Angeles on my calendar for Monday, February 23rd. Our friend Charles C. Lynch will be in Federal Court that day for sentencing in the horrible miscarriage of justice that is has come from Charles just trying to do everything legal and by the book… follow the law, go to jail – oh yeah, that’s the kind of message we like to send to our kids and adds to peoples respect for the rule of law.

I’ll be bringing lots of buttons to the rally (other MMJ buttons – not the ASR one shown…)

It’s early February, 2009 – and the DEA is still fighting their failed war. Such a waste I can’t even begin to write about it tonight – but here are a couple of good pieces about the current state of thing here in California concerning medical marijuana and the DEAs activities this week:

While the DEA continues it’s apparent desire to prove it’s pointlessness and uselessness, I have other, better things to work on, like preparing for the future…

The Medical Marijuana Lists is still in build mode and will be moving to beta mode very soon… Even though I have much to bring to this project I’m going to need other’s input to make this work. After all, I only know about being a person who experiences bi-polar disorder and uses medical marijuana to manage the symptoms, but I have no knowledge of what a cancer patient or MS patient needs.

I’m betting that the people who’ve been through the process are happy to share their wisdom with those new to the process. We are all a part of history, and the things we do now will help those that come after us, and that includes any wisdom we have to share. This is the year to build long lasting things…

After spending the last week in a most severe depression, I have a renewed appreciation of God’s gift of marijuana to be a lifeline during times of sickness.

My prayers, my energies and my aim is towards doing whatever I can to end this insane and disastrous chapter in our nation history called marijuana prohibition.